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Thursday, 3 January 2013

Hilary Mantel wins 2012 Costa novel prize

Hilary Mantel has won the 2012 Costa novel prize for
her Booker Prize-winning book Bring Up The Bodies.

The judges
described the historical story as "quite simply the best novel of the
year".

Kathleen Jamie
won the poetry category for her collection The Overhaul beating newcomer Sean
Borodale.

Each winner
will receive a £5,000 prize. Maggot Moon by the former illustrator Sally
Gardiner took the Children's award.

The book sees
her hero Standish take a stand against a ruthless regime which has taken his
friend away.

The judges
called it "truly outstanding with a unique voice, it's a magnificent
book."

Sally Gardiner
has described the award as "the most phenomenal" experience since
becoming a full time writer.

"Maggot
Moon is a book I've always wanted to write and Standish has been waiting to be
written for years. It is thrilling that the story now stands defiant in the
world" she said.

"It is a
great honour to have won this award, and for me, it goes towards proving the
power of dreams.'

Husband and
wife team Mary and Bryan Talbot from Sunderland jointly won best biography for
the graphic novel Dotter of Her Father's Eyes.

It is part
personal history, part biography and tells the story of two interweaving
father-daughter relationships.

Graphic novels
were included in the shortlists for the Costa Book Awards for the first time in
2012.

It is Hilary
Mantel's second award for Bring Up The Bodies, a historical novel about Thomas
Cromwell, which also won the 2012 Man Booker Prize.

She became the
first living UK author to receive the prize twice, having won it for its
prequel Wolf Hall.

"I'm
delighted, it is lovely and this is the first time I've have featured on a
Costa shortlist I think, I've certainly never won one of the Costa prizes
before" she told the BBC.

Mantel said the
awards were not making her complacent: "I'm always greedy for readers,
like every author.

"I had a
letter from one the other day which confused Thomas Cromwell and Oliver Cromwell
and when that is going on, I think there is work to be done."

Mantel beat off
competition from James Meek's The Heart Broke In and Stephen May's Life! Death!
Prizes!

Debut author
Francesca Segal won the first novel category for The Innocents.

It is the story
of childhood sweethearts, preparing to get married when a cousin turns up and
puts temptation in one of their ways.

"It felt
hard to believe that this affectionate, witty novel was the author's
first," the judges said.

All five books,
which were selected from more than 550 entries, will now compete for the 2012
Costa Book of the Year, which will be announced in London on 29 January.

A panel of
judges including actress Jenny Agutter, comedian Mark Watson and chaired by the
BBC Radio 4 broadcaster, Dame Jenni Murray will decide which is the overall
winner - who will receive an additional £30,000 prize money.

Last year's
Costa Book Prize went to Andrew Miller for his novel, Pure.